You know a player is in the middle of a good stretch when a 3 point outing seems like an “off” night.
Blake Geoffrion and Linus Klasen recorded three points apiece, while Jeremy Smith stopped 25 shots to lead Milwaukee to a 6-2 win over the Red Wings’ affiliate, the Grand Rapids Griffins, on Saturday night. Milwaukee has now won four straight and has points in five straight, while remaining tied atop the West Division with 64 points.
Geoffrion had a goal and two assists for Milwaukee. The reigning AHL Player of the Week, Geoffrion has 13 points (5 goals, 8 assists) in his last four games.
Milwaukee got on the board early with a Mark Santorelli power play goal at 1:39 of the first period. Holding the zone at the right point, Roman Josi passed to Jon Blum at the left point. Blum’s slapshot was deflected by the stick of Santorelli who was camped between the circles in front of the Griffins goal. The goal was Santorelli’s eighth of the season, third on the power play.
Milwaukee took a 2-0 lead at 6:35 of the first when Linus Klasen tallied his team-best 21st of the year. Ryan Thang sent the puck behind the Grand Rapids goal to Geoffrion. Geoffrion centered into the slot for Klasen who fanned on the bouncing pass. However, he connected just enough on his second attempt to trickle the puck past the right skate of goalie Jordan Pearce.
Klasen scored his second goal of the game and 22nd of the season at 5:58 of the second period. Geoffrion fed Teemu Laakso at the point. Laakso dished to Klasen above the left circle. Klasen fired a wrister past the stick of Pearce.
Grand Rapids got on the board when Brandon Straub scored on a scramble in front of Smith at 9:16 of the second period. Straub’s goal made it 3-1. Shortly after the goal, the Griffins’ Adam Keefe dropped the gloves with Milwaukee’s Scott Ford to try and bring some energy to his side.
The method failed.
Milwaukee made it 4-1 shortly after, when Gabriel Bourque scored a 4-on-4 goal at 11:50. The goal came off a faceoff in the right circle of the Grand Rapids zone. Chris Mueller sent the puck to the net and Bourque flipped the rebound into the cage for his seventh goal of the season.
Bourque scored another at 18:29 of the second period with a quick wrist shot from the left circle, his eighth of the year. Santorelli and Laakso recorded the helpers.
Griffins’ starting goaltender Jordan Pearce was chased for the third period, as Thomas McCollum came in for the third stanza. He did not fare much better.
Geoffrion made it 6-1 at 6:16 of the third period when he deflected an Aaron Johnson shot past McCollum. Klasen also recorded an assist.
Grand Rapids managed to get one more past Smith as Tomas Tatar scored on the power play to close the gap to 6-2 at 16:01 of the third. That would prove to be the final tally of the game for either team.
Game Notes:
- The Admirals outshot the Griffins 36-27 in the game.
- Klasen’s 22nd goal moves him into 8th place in goal scoring in the AHL. He also moves into 16th in overall scoring.
- Milwaukee’s next game is on Wednesday at the Bradley Center against the Peoria Rivermen, the St. Louis Blues affiliate.
Box Score
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Milwaukee Admirals | 2 | 3 | 1 | 6 |
| Grand Rapids Griffins | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Location | Van Andel Arena – Grand Rapids, Mich. |
|---|---|
| Winning Goaltender | Jeremy Smith |
| Losing Goaltender | Jordan Pearce |
| First Star | Linus Klasen (MIL) – 2G – 1A – 3P |
| Second Star | Blake Geoffrion (MIL) – 1G – 2A – 3P |
| Third Star | Gabriel Bourque (MIL) – 2G |
| Attendance | 10,423 |